Director, Operational Excellence

ACT Education•Iowa City, IA

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Director, Operational Excellence is responsible for driving the end-to-end execution of strategic project initiatives and leading business process improvement efforts that require operational delivery across Operations. This role ensures product and process initiatives move from approved roadmap through delivery by managing integrated plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, and execution workflows, while also identifying and eliminating waste, inefficiency, and quality gaps to strengthen the organization's overall operating model.

Requirements

At least 7 years of progressively responsible project management experience in complex, cross-functional environments and with technology projects.
Experience leading business process improvement or operational excellence initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent methodology).
Experience leading initiatives during organizational change or transformation.
Experience working across cross-functional teams.
Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously.
Proven track record of delivering projects on time and within scope, with measurable operational improvements (e.g., cost savings, cycle time reduction, quality gains).
Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills.
Demonstrated ability to balance structure with flexibility while guiding teams through shifting priorities.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Experience with project management tools such as Jira, and process mapping tools such as Visio or Lucidchart.
Bachelor's degree in Business, Project Management, Operations, Technology, or related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience).

Nice To Haves

Experience with digital transformation or system implementations.
Project management certification (e.g., PMP, PMI-ACP).
Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt, Black Belt, or Master Black Belt).
Experience building or leading a PMO or Continuous Improvement office.

Responsibilities

Own delivery execution for assigned product and process initiatives impacting Operations, from intake through launch and transition to business-as-usual (BAU).
Translate product roadmaps and strategic initiatives into integrated project plans with clear milestones, deliverables, and success criteria.
Ensure operational requirements, dependencies, and constraints are identified early and incorporated into delivery plans.
Actively manage cross-team dependencies, sequencing work to reduce delivery risk and bottlenecks.
Proactively identify, track, and escalate delivery risks and issues related to scope, timing, capacity, or operational readiness.
Partner with functional leads to define mitigation plans and drive timely resolution.
Maintain clear visibility of risks, impacts, and decisions for leadership stakeholders.
Establish and maintain project management governance, templates, and reporting cadence (e.g., a lightweight PMO framework) to support consistent delivery across the portfolio.
Develop and lead operational excellence initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, or similar continuous improvement methodologies.
Map current-state processes, identify root causes of inefficiency, waste, and quality gaps, and design future-state processes.
Establish and monitor KPIs and metrics to track process performance and quantify the impact of improvement initiatives.
Build and mature a Continuous Improvement (CI) program, including training and coaching for staff at all levels.
Drive standardization of best practices and process documentation across business units.
Conduct cost-benefit analyses and build business cases to justify improvement investments.